


The Unusual Arrangement of William Murdoch's Wedding

by Crowgirl



Series: Strange Mechanicals [1]
Category: Murdoch Mysteries
Genre: F/M, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Off-screen Relationship(s), Unorthodox Marriages, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:56:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7972621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowgirl/pseuds/Crowgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After all, what they were contemplating was hardly marriage as sanctioned by the Church which was what he had always, if a little vaguely, expected for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Unusual Arrangement of William Murdoch's Wedding

Murdoch has just gotten his tie into a satisfactory state and is brushing a few last, invisible pieces of dust off the white-embroidered waistcoat when movement in the mirror catches his eye and he glances up at the reflection to see the vestry door open. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Just wanted to give you a last send-off.’ James comes to a halt a few yards behind him, hands in his pockets. He’s smiling but the expression doesn’t quite work; it’s the smile he uses on investors he knows aren’t going to invest.

‘James.’ Murdoch tugs his vest straight, gives a moment’s consideration to the _boutonniere_ , and turns around. ‘We talked about this.’

James holds up a hand. ‘I know, I know we did.’

‘And we talked about it with Julia.’

‘I know--’

‘You’re going to have to trust us.’

James’ lips thin. ‘Yes. Well.’ He pushes his hands deeper into his pockets, hunching his shoulders almost like a child expecting a blow; Murdoch isn’t sure which is more annoying: that James has chosen _now_ to have a crisis of faith or that he’s destroying the line of a very well-cut and rather expensive suit while he does it. He sighs silently and decides to deal with the easier of the two first.

He crosses to where James stands and takes James’ wrists, gently drawing his hands from his pockets. James doesn’t resist but also doesn’t help, letting Murdoch take the weight of his arms. ‘You spent a great deal on that tailor. It’s a shame to treat his work so badly.’ Murdoch curves his fingers around James’ wrists until he can feel the soft skin of the underside of his forearm just below his palm and the pulse below that. He sighs again, audibly this time. ‘Have you had anything but coffee this morning?’

‘Yes.’ James straightens, pulling his shoulders back but doesn’t pull his hands free. 

‘James.’

‘I did! I had some toast when I got up this morning.’

‘And when was that?’

James sniffs and mutters something.

‘What was that?’

‘Five.’

‘Oh, James--’

‘I’m usually up at six anyway. It hardly matters.’

‘On a Sunday?’ Murdoch cocks his head, knowing perfectly well that James prefers to stay in bed until lunch if possible, especially on pleasant Sundays. 

James pulls his hands out of Murdoch’s grip and shoves them back in his trouser pockets. ‘Hardly seemed right to loll about in bed when my best friend is busy getting married.’

Murdoch shakes his head and takes a step in so he and James are almost toe to toe. ‘You know that isn’t right.’ He puts his hands on James’ shoulders, then links them behind his neck, pulling their foreheads together. 

After a long minute, James sighs, his breath slightly bitter with old coffee against Murdoch’s cheek. ‘I know.’

‘But you don’t believe me.’

James sighs again and Murdoch feels his shoulders drop. ‘It isn’t -- as though I’ve had the best luck in the world, William. And this -- isn’t what you might call -- the _usual_ sort of arrangement.’

‘Since when have you enjoyed _usual_ sorts of arrangements.’ Murdoch copies his intonation and emphasis carefully, being equally careful not to change his position so James won’t think he’s drawing back as some sort of coded message. James in this mood is entirely too prone to reading too much into things. He should have gotten Julia to write something down -- or perhaps written something himself, something they could all sign, like a contract. James knows what to do with contracts; he might have found that reassuring. As it is, Murdoch isn’t sure he knows what to say. It isn’t as though he has any experience at this himself and he can’t deny he has had -- misgivings. After all, what they were contemplating -- no, he corrects himself, what they _are doing_ \-- is hardly marriage as sanctioned by the Church which was what he had always pictured for himself. He’s certainly never pictured himself living so far beyond the limits of what he grew up knowing to be the right ways of doing things.

But Julia had been absolutely right -- as she so often is -- when she had pointed out a year ago that he and James had a relationship so similar to their own that the difference was hardly noticeable. Bar, of course, the physical which is so far (mostly) hypothetical with Julia. He can feel himself flushing when he thinks about how easily it had come with James.

James chuckles. ‘What are you thinking about? You’ve gone bright red.’ His hands slide under Murdoch’s coat and settle comfortably over his hips.

Murdoch clears his throat. ‘Kissing you.’

‘Oh.’ James blinks and his expression closes down again. ‘Are you sure your fiancee--’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake.’ Murdoch pauses for a brief, silent prayer that he be forgiven this -- and everything else he’s likely to do today in pursuit of the life he wants that is no longer the one he thought for so many years he would want -- and kisses James quiet. 

James licks his lips carefully when Murdoch pulls back. ‘Is that how you’re going to pre-empt all our arguments from now on? Because that really is just putting a premium on my being stubborn.’

‘Today only, I’m afraid. As of tomorrow, you’ll have to present considered, rational arguments in favor of your position. Which I will duly consider.’

James smiles but the expression fades too soon, leaving behind the shadows of worry under his eyes and the tight lines around his mouth. He studies Murdoch’s face and William stands as he is, not sure what James is looking for. After a long moment or two, James sighs, and shrugs, as if in answer to some internal question, and reaches out to trace the line of Murdoch’s cheek. ‘As if I could give you up anyway. You damned aggravating man.’

**Author's Note:**

> All rewrite rights reserved if I decide to write more. :)
> 
>  
> 
> _Edit: Okay, I decided to write more. Is anyone really surprised by this? .... Didn't think so. All credit for the series title goes to author Kage Baker. If you don't know her, please do yourself a favor and get to know her. She's a brilliant steampunk/alt-history author who doesn't have nearly enough fans. My series title is a play on her _Rude Mechanicals_ , [a novella from her "Company" 'verse set in Hollywood, 1934,](https://subterraneanpress.com/store/product_detail/rude_mechanicals) with two of my favorite longtime characters, Joseph and Lewis. Shakespeare, cyborgs -- what more do you want?_


End file.
